Graeme Lowdon: “I’m confident I’m doing the right thing”

Graeme Lowdon believes he is doing the right thing by stepping away from the Manor F1 Team after this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but believes he could work in Formula 1 again in the future.

The Sporting Director will leave the team after six years after falling out with team owner Stephen Fitzpatrick during 2015 over the future direction of the team, but feels proud of what he and the team have achieved, especially over the difficult months preceding this season when the future of the team was in doubt.

“It would be nice to be involved in a bit more racing in F1 next season, but I’m confident I’m doing the right thing,” said Lowdon to Autosport. “Looking back the challenges we’ve had over the six years have been very, very varied, some of which have been very difficult.

“There’s an awful lot of hard work that has gone in, particularly last winter in trying to keep the team alive. So while I am leaving, there is a sense of achievement in that the team is still here and in a position to go forward.”

Lowdon believes the future of Formula 1 could potentially be very exciting, especially with a possible increase in the opportunities for fans to interact with the sport, although he has yet to start looking for future employment with the sport.

“I agreed with the current owners I wouldn’t look for any new employment while still with the team,” revealed Lowdon. “The most important thing was to see out the season and focus on the task in hand, which is making sure we completed the season to the best of our abilities.

“Because of that I haven’t looked for anything, not even in terms of opportunities in Formula 1. So I’ll look for the next challenge, and if an opportunity did arise in F1 then I’d return.

“F1 is a fascinating business, and the opportunities are massive. The next 10 years could be some of the most exciting in its history in terms of growth and how the fans can interact. Potentially it’s a really exciting period to be in F1.”